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• The theory of how cells originally emerged in the absence of cells/other biological agents
• Primordial earth atmosphere: low O2, CH4, ammonia NH3, H2, water, lightning/heat/energy
• Miller-Urey experiment is evidence for this |
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• Stanley Miller and Harold Urey at University of Chicago, 1953
• Recreated primordial earth conditions in a lab and got amino acids a week later!
• Evidence for abiotic synthesis |
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• Complex shapes that RNA can form through folding
• Can do stuff like splicing exons RNA may have been the first enzyme
• Helps solve which came first dillema about DNA and proteins |
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• Abiotically produced structures with some of the simple features of cells
• e.g. liposomes are like phospholipids in bilayer capabilities |
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• The theory that complex organic molecules of life were brought to Earth on a comet or something—not created here
• Implies abiotic synthesis at some point |
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| • The evidence of life before humans could make written records |
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• Rock formed by accumulation of sediment that settles out of water
• Important source of fossils—can cover them quickly and preserve them |
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• Traces of an organism—organic material has decayed
• Space where organism used to be filled with mineral different from surrounding rock |
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| • Things like footprints or burrow of an organism |
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• Understanding that a fossil is older or younger than other fossils
• Doesn’t talk about absolute age of the fossil
• The deeper the sedimentary layer, the older the soil |
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• To get absolute age of a fossil
• Isotopes decay at a rate measured by half life, common used ones are carbon-14/uranium-238 |
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• The measurement of the rate it takes for ½ of an isotope to decay
• Radiometric dating |
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| • About 4.5 bya; completely solid about 3.9 bya |
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| 2. Prokaryotic Life Emerges |
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Definition
• 4.0-3.5 bya
• Fossil evidence of life 3.5 bya
• 3.8 bya oldest rocks on earth, life may have been there back then |
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| 3. Oxygen Becomes Prevalent |
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• About 2.7 bya
• Introduced in large amounts by cyanobacteria that did photosynthesis
• First in ocean, later in atmosphere
• A mass extinction—many bacteria die, but many adapt, respiration emerges |
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• 2.1 bya definitely there, perhaps 2.2 bya
• Endosymbiosis probably happened |
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| 5. Multicellular Eukaryotes Emerge |
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• 1.2 bya
• One cell doesn’t have to perform all functions of an organism
• Mostly really simple until around 570 mya, then stuff like jellyfish |
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• 543-525 mya
• A ton of animals come about at beginning of Cambrian era. Huge diversification!
• All known animal forms—worms to vertebrates—have emerged by end of this |
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• 500 mya
• Bacteria already there, but plants, animals, fungi start moving now
• Lots of adaptations required for different environment |
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• 360-290 mya
• Seedless plants climax and make a lot of fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) |
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| 9. Permian Mass Extinction |
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• 250 mya
• Most marine animal species and lots of terrestrial animal life die
• Maybe because of oxygen deficit from volcanic activity, or Pangaea’s formation
• Mesozoic era starts
• Reptiles take over and dinosoars rule! Gymnosperms (plants with cones) become popular |
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| 10. Cretaceous Extinction |
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• 65 mya
• Dinosaurs (and other marine animals) die
• Cenozoic era starts
• Most likely a large asteroid, maybe volcanic activity
• Mammals, birds, angiosperms (plants with flowers), pollinating insects diversify |
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• The field that has been developed to name and classify different species of life
• First modern taxonomist—Swedish Carolus Linnaeus in mid 1700s
• Species genus family order class phylum kingdom domain |
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• Gravy flows out of cones paralyzing kids and dogs
• Genus, family, order, class, phylum, kingdom, domain
• A form of hierarchical classification
• System made by humans, not from natural features of orgainsms system changes |
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| • Group of similar species |
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| • Group of similar genera |
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| • Group of similar families |
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| • Group of similar orders |
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| • Group of similar classes |
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| • Group of similar kingdoms |
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• A name that accurately describes a species
• Stays the same despite a difference in common name from region to region
• Binomial nomenclature |
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• Two-work identification of all species
• Genus epithet
• Can have an additional taxon to distinguish between members of same species |
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